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| The Eurasian wigeon is an uncommon to rare vagrant to North America: as its name suggests it is a European and Asian species. They can be told from the much more common (in North America) American wigeon by the rufous-colored heads of males, and the gray wing linings (white in the American wigeon). The winter of 2003-2004 saw large numbers of these handsome ducks show up along the west coast. The one at upper right living in a pond in the small city of Temecula, California (for the second winter in a row), along with a lot of American wigeons. The bird at upper left showed up at Newport Back Bay (coastal Orange County, CA) in 2006, and the birds below -- many probably American wigeon X Eurasian wigeon hybrids -- were at inland ponds in San Diego County, CA and (flying bird) at Bolsa Chica wetlands in coastal Orange County, CA. | |
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